The General Post Office in downtown Dublin. This was ground zero for the Irish Uprising of 1916. However, there won't be any more uprisings because, as the sign says, the Police now have the area under video surveilance.
I went down the stairs to the Morehampton Townhouse's breakfast room expecting the Irish version of "the full fry." Their version is much like the British version except there's more bread. To my surprise, the breakfast was like nothing I had expected. There were several varieties of homemade bread (made that morning) on the table. And there was also fresh fruit salad to feast on. What a refreshing change from the usual overabundance of fat. "The full fry" was still available if you wanted it. But, I stocked up on enough bread and fruit salad that I didn't have room for any excess cholesterol.
After breakfast, we went across the street and caught a bus to downtown Dublin. The ride cost 80 pence per person. About 20 minutes later, we were on Suffolk Street near Trinity College with no idea of what to do first. It was then that an Irish City Tours bus pulled up to where we were standing. They offer a tour of Dublin, which lasts about 90 minutes, that takes one to 11 different stops in the city, including Trinity College, the Guinness Brewery, and Phoenix Park. The cost is IŁ7.00. The best part about the trip is that you can get off at a particular stop and get back on another of the company's buses to continue the tour without paying again. These sort of tours are common in most British and Irish big cities. They are a convenient way to either get an idea of the location of landmarks or to travel between them. There was another company running competing tours for only IŁ6.00; but, I don't know if they offered as many other discounts (like one child admitted free with a paying adult to the Dublin Zoo and 15% off the Dublinia exhibit near Christ Church Cathedral) as Irish City Tours did.
Our first stop was the Guinness Brewery. But, we didn't stay there. We went across the Liffey River and made our way to St. Michan's Church for a look at the famous mummies in the church's crypt. After our tour, we crossed the river again (pausing just long enough so that I could get a picture of the Four Courts Building) to tour Christ Church Cathedral. Then, we realized how thirsty we were. So, we walked back to the Guinness Brewery for a pint and some shopping in the giftstore.
Sufficiently refreshed, we got back on the Irish City Tours bus. We took it to O'Connell St. During the trip, we went through Phoenix Park. Phoenix is the largest city park in the world, double the size of Central Park in New York. The zoo is located there, along with a monument to the Duke of Wellington (which is shorter than it was intended because they couldn't raise money for it after the Duke made some disparaging remarks about his Irish heritage). But the part that I found most interesting was the location of the President of Ireland's house. The house (the Irish version of the White House) is within Phoenix Park. Directly across the street from it, and still within the park, is the residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland. Now, the embassy isn't in the Park. It's in Donnybrook, not far from the Morehampton Townhouse. And there aren't any other ambassadors' residences in the park. In fact, I'm not sure there are any other private houses in the park. I guess that gives everyone a clear idea about the importance of the United States in Irish eyes.
We got off the bus directly across from the General Post Office. This building was a focal point for the Irish Uprising of 1916, and the Irish Civil War of the 1920s. We went inside the building to see this unique piece of Irish history. To my mild surprise, it's still a functioning post office. However, in a nod to its history, there are a series of paintings on the interior walls detailing the building's role in the 1916 uprising. A better understanding of its role can be found on the outside of the building, where the bullet holes from the conflict still remain. In fact, many of the statues along O'Connell St. still display bullet holes. It's a graphic reminder that street was once the front lines in a struggle for independence.
After our stop at the General Post Office, we did a little shopping down O'Connell St. Then, we walked across the Liffey and went to Trinity College. After touring the campus and viewing the Book of Kells, we made a quick walk down to Dublin Castle. Unfortunately, it had closed by the time we got there (it's only open from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m on bank holidays). I took a couple of pictures inside the courtyard of the building. But, our frustration at not finding the castle open turned into good fortune when we discovered a cybercafe across from it on Great George's St. It was another opportunity to e- mail folks back home. Then, it was onto the bus to go back to Morehampton Townhouse.
We thought we'd have dinner in Donnybrook. However, there really wasn't much around the hotel. So, we boarded a bus again and went into Dublin. We ended up at the Boulevard Cafe on 27 Exchequer St., not far from Dublin Castle. This place was very busy when we were there. While we were seated promptly, it took a while to get our food. Still the food was worth the wait. The pasta, pizza, and soup we had were outstanding. The soup cost IŁ2.10, which the pasta and pizza were IŁ5.95. I recommend this place; but, I'd advise getting reservations. The phone number is 01-679-2131.
We wondered around the block where the restaurant was located, trying
to find a pub for another pint of Guinness before we went back to the hotel.
I was also trying to find where all the Irish went. Dublin didn't seem to
have too many in it. I had met several Germans, French, English, and a whole
bunch of Americans. In fact, I had thought for a while that I was in Boston
instead of Dublin - surrounded by people with Irish last names and American
accents. But every so often, I'd hear a whisper of an Irish accent which
confirmed for me that I was in Dublin. Still, I thought the best place to find some Irish would be
in a pub. Of course, we didn't walk into a pub. We ended up in a disco where
the only thing we heard was the beat of the music. But, the Guinness was
there, so we downed our beer and took a taxi back to the hotel.
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